Lahore High Court reviews death-row inmate's blasphemy appeal and digital evidence
The Lahore High Court has taken up former lecturer Junaid Hafeez's appeal against his 2019 death sentence for blasphemy, seeking the prosecution’s view on the admissibility of electronic evidence.
Former Bahauddin Zakariya University English lecturer Junaid Hafeez, sentenced to death in 2019 for blasphemy, had his appeal heard by a Lahore High Court bench comprising Justices Sadiq Mahmud Khurram and Muhammad Jawad Zafar. The court highlighted that formal notices had not been served after the appeal’s transfer from Multan to Lahore and issued fresh notices to both the appellant’s and prosecution’s counsel. Prosecutors, represented by Advocate Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, will be asked to argue the admissibility of electronic evidence, including a Facebook page linked to Hafeez.
The hearing was postponed to a later date, with Hafeez’s lawyer requesting additional time to prepare. The case, which began in 2014, has seen multiple judge transfers, numerous prosecution witnesses, and threats against lawyers representing Hafeez.
Why it matters
The ruling will affect how digital evidence is used in Pakistan's blasphemy prosecutions and could set a precedent for future cases.
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